Rhinos ready for UiTM a er win over Brunei
Sabah warmed up for their upcoming Premier League fixtures with a morale boos ng 3-1 win over Brunei DPMM FC at the Hassanal Bolkiah Na onal Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan on Monday.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah warmed up for their upcoming Premier League fixtures with a morale boosting 3-1 win over Brunei DPMM FC at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Bandar Seri Begawan on Monday.
Left winger Justin Samaan came off the bench to score two goals in the game with Puerto Rico forward Hector Ramos netting the other for the Rhinos.
Abdul Aziz Tamit pulled a goal back for the hosts when the Rhinos were already two zero up in the first half.
Head coach Jelius Ating was pleased with his charges¡¦ display and the result, especially when up against a tough opponents like DPMM who are also preparing for the Singapore Premier League.
Jelius said the international club friendly was just what the Rhinos needed as they set eyes on the league competition which would resume on April 10 after around a month¡¦s break.
"We achieved our objectives (in Brunei), that of course was of utmost important to us," said Jelius when contacted in Brunei yesterday.
While he was happy with the victory, Jelius explained the main objective of accepting DPMM's invitation for the game was to test their progress against opponents of the same level.
"We underwent many training (during the break) but that was not adequate to prepare the team for the league. The team need to play matches against strong opponents and we got that against DPMM.
"We played with one eye set on our up-coming league fixtures. That was the reason why I went for the strongest possible squad to start against DPMM," he said, although Sabri Sahar missed the trip and was replaced by Leopold Alfonso in the starting eleven.
Jelius however said Sabah did not have the best to start with due to the lack of quality matches during the break affected their game.
"We were very confident of winning and that we created many chances. But, there were some weaknesses that we have identified too.
"For example we made a slow start and couldn't find our rhythm...the team also tend to lose possession easily in the opening 10 to 15 minutes.
"This is what happened when don't play enough quality matches...we can't assess the team¡¦s progress through training session.
"That was why I was happy we made the trip to Brunei. Now, we have a week to rectify the mistakes before we resume our league campaign," he said while adding that Sabah were ready for league action based on their performance in Brunei.
Having said that, Jelius also noted some improvement on the Rhinos¡¦ game but he added there was still room for improvement.
Meanwhile, Justin's twogoal performance did not go unnoticed as Jelius took notice of the improvement made by the one-time former state President Cupper.
According to Jelius, Justin was brought on to replace the ineffective Leopold midway into the first half and he took his chances well to impress.
And Jelius hoped the rest of the squad, especially the youngsters, would continue to work hard in order to earn their spot in the match-day squad.
"I'm happy to see the improvement and progress made by Justin. I will try to give as much exposure as possible to the players to get themselves ready whenever the team need them.
"For me, it is the players' form and not reputation or seniority when it comes to selecting the team.
"Whoever performs and shows improvement, they will get their chance to play in the league.
"I hope this will create a healthy competition among the players and eventually make the team stronger," he said.
Sabah are unbeaten in the opening five league matches to collect nine points (two wins and three draws) to occupy second place, six points behind leaders Felda United FC.
The Rhinos will resume their league fixtures against UiTM FC, who are third also on nine points, at the Likas Stadium on April 10.